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This appears to be the week for invisible cars. Twice I've nearly been hit by someone who should've stopped, and once the car in front of me nearly hit someone else.
Story the First
Tuesday afternoon I picked up my daughter from school and started to head home. The first intersection I came to is where two one-way streets cross, and both streets have a stop sign there. I reached the sign before a car coming on the other street, so I started through, only to hit my brakes not moments later because the other car wasn't stopping at the stop line. Or at the crosswalk. In fact, she didn't stop until her rear bumper was in the intersection, at which point she hit the brakes and stared at me like a deer in headlights. Um, yes, there's a giant red jeep here, and you had a stop sign. Congratulations on nearly hitting me.
She ended up going anyway, as I couldn't get past, and then half pulled to one side of the very crowded street I was turning onto. I started to inch past her, only for her passenger door to fly open in front of me and another lady started to hop out.
Luckily for the passenger and the car door, she saw me coming (the street hadn't been plowed recently, so braking was near-useless), and quickly pulled the door back so I could get by. Good heavens, don't people look anymore?
Story the Second
Same drive home, only this time it was the last major intersection before my apartment complex. This intersection is two two-way streets crossing, and it's a four-way stop. I get to my stop sign and dutifully stop. A pickup truck is approaching from the right. I start into the intersection, slowly because it's uphill, only to have to hit my brakes again because the pickup isn't slowing down either! He finally stops more than halfway across the crosswalk, staring at me like I leapt out of nowhere. I give him a glare and continue going, as the crossing guard standing next to his truck starts gesturing angrily at him.
Story the Third
I really hate the drive to and from my daughter's school. This time I was driving home with her yesterday. I was behind another car at a red light near a school, so the intersection has a crossing guard. Pedestrians (three school children and a college-age woman) were approaching from the right, across the intersection, and usually this would be where the crossing guard would hit the crosswalk button to trip the signal. The huge mound of snow pushed there by the plow might be keeping her from reaching the button, but she still has her stop sign and whistle, and hadn't signalled for us to stop, so when our light turned green the car in front of me started across, with me behind.
Just as the lead car reached the other crosswalk, the college-aged woman stepped out into it. The car in front of me briefly tapped their brakes, and the woman pulled up short like she had only just noticed the cars in the intersection. I could see the crossing guard talking to her, so I expect she got a chewing out. The school kids, sensibly enough, were waiting for the crossing guard's all-clear before going.
Sadly, this type of incident is far too common in this town. Too many of the local university students step right out into the intersection (or ride their bikes out into the intersection) without even checking for traffic first. Far too many others hit the crosswalk signal, but then cross before it changes, leaving the motorists sitting at a four-way red light while the crosswalk signal comes on without any pedestrians in sight.
Bonus Story
Last week, I was taking my daughter to school in the morning. Now, we live across the street from one school and right next to another, so traffic is heavy around school times, especially in the morning when half the locals are heading off to work too. I was heading down the hill, with a line of cars coming the other way waiting to turn into the next-door school's tiny lot. There's one side street here, which has a stop sign while the street I was on has none (T-intersection). The oncoming traffic on one side and snow-fouled street parking on the other side make for tight driving, so I was already going slow, which is probably what saved me here.
See, just as I approached the side street, a minivan decided to gun it out of the side street, despite the line of cars blocking vision, and nearly front-ended me as I was coming down the hill. I slammed on the brakes, sliding a bit as the ABS kicked in, and the minivan, after a brief delay (possibly also sliding), also stopped. There was maybe a foot of space between our two bumpers. The driver, who looked to be a college-aged guy, kind of smiled and nodded sheepishly, as if I was letting him go in front of me out of courtesy, and finished his turn. I spent the next two blocks both fuming and scared out of my wits.
Story the First
Tuesday afternoon I picked up my daughter from school and started to head home. The first intersection I came to is where two one-way streets cross, and both streets have a stop sign there. I reached the sign before a car coming on the other street, so I started through, only to hit my brakes not moments later because the other car wasn't stopping at the stop line. Or at the crosswalk. In fact, she didn't stop until her rear bumper was in the intersection, at which point she hit the brakes and stared at me like a deer in headlights. Um, yes, there's a giant red jeep here, and you had a stop sign. Congratulations on nearly hitting me.
She ended up going anyway, as I couldn't get past, and then half pulled to one side of the very crowded street I was turning onto. I started to inch past her, only for her passenger door to fly open in front of me and another lady started to hop out.
Luckily for the passenger and the car door, she saw me coming (the street hadn't been plowed recently, so braking was near-useless), and quickly pulled the door back so I could get by. Good heavens, don't people look anymore?Story the Second
Same drive home, only this time it was the last major intersection before my apartment complex. This intersection is two two-way streets crossing, and it's a four-way stop. I get to my stop sign and dutifully stop. A pickup truck is approaching from the right. I start into the intersection, slowly because it's uphill, only to have to hit my brakes again because the pickup isn't slowing down either! He finally stops more than halfway across the crosswalk, staring at me like I leapt out of nowhere. I give him a glare and continue going, as the crossing guard standing next to his truck starts gesturing angrily at him.
Story the Third
I really hate the drive to and from my daughter's school. This time I was driving home with her yesterday. I was behind another car at a red light near a school, so the intersection has a crossing guard. Pedestrians (three school children and a college-age woman) were approaching from the right, across the intersection, and usually this would be where the crossing guard would hit the crosswalk button to trip the signal. The huge mound of snow pushed there by the plow might be keeping her from reaching the button, but she still has her stop sign and whistle, and hadn't signalled for us to stop, so when our light turned green the car in front of me started across, with me behind.
Just as the lead car reached the other crosswalk, the college-aged woman stepped out into it. The car in front of me briefly tapped their brakes, and the woman pulled up short like she had only just noticed the cars in the intersection. I could see the crossing guard talking to her, so I expect she got a chewing out. The school kids, sensibly enough, were waiting for the crossing guard's all-clear before going.
Sadly, this type of incident is far too common in this town. Too many of the local university students step right out into the intersection (or ride their bikes out into the intersection) without even checking for traffic first. Far too many others hit the crosswalk signal, but then cross before it changes, leaving the motorists sitting at a four-way red light while the crosswalk signal comes on without any pedestrians in sight.
Bonus Story
Last week, I was taking my daughter to school in the morning. Now, we live across the street from one school and right next to another, so traffic is heavy around school times, especially in the morning when half the locals are heading off to work too. I was heading down the hill, with a line of cars coming the other way waiting to turn into the next-door school's tiny lot. There's one side street here, which has a stop sign while the street I was on has none (T-intersection). The oncoming traffic on one side and snow-fouled street parking on the other side make for tight driving, so I was already going slow, which is probably what saved me here.
See, just as I approached the side street, a minivan decided to gun it out of the side street, despite the line of cars blocking vision, and nearly front-ended me as I was coming down the hill. I slammed on the brakes, sliding a bit as the ABS kicked in, and the minivan, after a brief delay (possibly also sliding), also stopped. There was maybe a foot of space between our two bumpers. The driver, who looked to be a college-aged guy, kind of smiled and nodded sheepishly, as if I was letting him go in front of me out of courtesy, and finished his turn. I spent the next two blocks both fuming and scared out of my wits.
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